AI Engineering Manager

About Us

Latent AI is a leading AI solutions implementation partner, dedicated to helping our diverse clients solve their most complex challenges with cutting-edge technology. Our strength lies in our small, agile, and expert teams who deliver bespoke AI and machine learning solutions. We foster a culture of collaboration, innovation, and deep technical excellence. As we grow, we are seeking a leader who is passionate about nurturing the talented individuals at the heart of our success.

The Role

We are looking for an Engineering Manager to lead our AI Engineers. This is a people-first role, designed for someone who thrives on mentoring talent, building high-performing teams, and creating processes that enable engineers to do their best work.

You will be the dedicated people leader for a group of talented AI Engineers, responsible for their career growth, well-being, and overall performance. While your focus will be on the "who" and "how," you will work in a tight-knit partnership with our Principal AI Engineers, who own the ultimate technical "what." Together, you will form the leadership duo that guides our teams to successfully deliver innovative AI solutions for our clients.

What You'll Do

People & Team Leadership (50%):

• Mentor and Develop: Serve as the direct manager for our AI Engineers, conducting regular 1-on-1s, providing constructive feedback, and creating personalized career development plans.
• Build a Thriving Culture: Champion a positive, inclusive, and collaborative team environment where engineers feel psychologically safe and motivated.
• Drive Performance: Manage the entire performance review cycle, including goal setting, feedback collection (in partnership with technical leadership), and compensation reviews.
• Hire and Onboard: Lead the recruitment process for new engineers, ensuring we attract and retain top talent that aligns with our values. Own the onboarding experience to set new hires up for success.
• Resolve Conflicts: Act as the primary point of contact for resolving interpersonal and team-dynamic challenges.

Project, Process & Technical Guidance (50%):

• Ensure Project Health: Partner with Project Managers to appropriately staff projects, monitor team workload and morale, and mitigate delivery risks related to personnel.
• Optimize Delivery: Own and refine our agile and project management processes (sprints, stand-ups, retros) to ensure our teams are operating efficiently and effectively.
• Provide Technical Guidance: Act as the first line of support for engineers on technical challenges. You'll help troubleshoot day-to-day issues, provide guidance on implementation details, and conduct initial code reviews, escalating to the Principal AI Engineer for complex architectural or systemic problems.
• Remove Blockers: Proactively identify and clear both technical and non-technical obstacles that stand in the team's way.
• Facilitate Communication: Ensure clear, consistent communication within project teams and with external stakeholders, ensuring everyone is aligned on goals and progress.

Who You Are

• Experience: 8+ years of experience in the software industry, with at least 2 years in a direct people management role (e.g., Engineering Manager, Team Lead, or similar).
• People-Focused Leader: You have a genuine passion for people management and find fulfillment in developing talent, coaching engineers, and building a supportive environment where they can thrive.
• Excellent Communicator: You possess exceptional interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills, with the ability to build trust, deliver difficult feedback constructively, and inspire a team.
• Process-Oriented: You have a strong understanding of agile methodologies and know how to create lightweight, effective processes that support teams without stifling them.
• Technical Credibility: You are comfortable diving into code to help your team and have a strong enough technical background (ideally in a AI/ML environment) to be a credible first point of contact for technical issues.
• Problem Solver: You are adept at navigating ambiguity and are skilled at identifying the root cause of issues, whether they are related to people, process, or projects.

Bonus Points:

• Experience working in a professional services or consulting environment.
• Familiarity with the unique challenges of building and deploying AI solutions.

Why Join Us?

This is a unique opportunity to shape the engineering culture at a growing AI services company. You'll have a direct impact on the careers of our talented engineers and play a pivotal role in our ability to deliver world-class solutions to our clients. If you are a leader who believes that great technology is built by happy, empowered, and supported people, we would love to hear from you.